Quad

Head-to-head

U. South Carolina-Columbia
U. Tennessee-Knoxville

Key differences

The biggest gaps between these schools, largest first.

  1. 1

    U. South Carolina-Columbia is more diverse (index 0.46 vs. 0.38)

    Diversity index
  2. 2

    U. Tennessee-Knoxville's grants cover 27% of its full price on average, vs. 19% at U. South Carolina-Columbia

    Aid generosity
  3. 3

    U. South Carolina-Columbia graduates 5 pts more of its students than U. Tennessee-Knoxville (77% vs. 71%)

    Graduation rate
  4. 4

    U. Tennessee-Knoxville has 5 pts more first-gen students than U. South Carolina-Columbia (25% vs. 20%)

    First-generation students
  5. 5

    U. Tennessee-Knoxville admits 42% vs. 57% at U. South Carolina-Columbia

    Acceptance rate
  6. 6

    U. Tennessee-Knoxville's yield is 4 pts higher than U. South Carolina-Columbia's

    Yield rate

The shape of each school

Each axis is a national rank among 4-year colleges; further out = more of it.

SelectivityTest scoresSizePell shareFirst-genDiversity

Who's hardest to get into

U. Tennessee-Knoxville admits 42%, U. South Carolina-Columbia 57%; U. Tennessee-Knoxville's yield is higher, at 27%.

Acceptance rate
U. South Carolina-Columbia57%
U. Tennessee-Knoxville42%
Quad's selectivity
  • U. South Carolina-ColumbiaSelectivefrom South CarolinaVery selectivefrom other states
  • U. Tennessee-KnoxvilleVery selective
SAT middle 50%Axis 1100–1600
U. South Carolina-Columbia
1200–1360
U. Tennessee-Knoxville
1200–1370
How they read a recordfirst-years at 3.75+
  • U. South Carolina-ColumbiaGPA very important48%
  • U. Tennessee-KnoxvilleGPA and school record required

Who's on each campus

U. South Carolina-Columbia and U. Tennessee-Knoxville are about the same size; both have the same Pell share, 19%.

Undergrads
U. South Carolina-Columbia29.8K
U. Tennessee-Knoxville30.4K
Pell Grant share
U. South Carolina-Columbia19%
U. Tennessee-Knoxville19%

Majors and faculty

Public Health leads at U. South Carolina-Columbia, and Marketing/Marketing Management at U. Tennessee-Knoxville.

Students per faculty member
U. South Carolina-Columbia19 to 1
U. Tennessee-Knoxville18 to 1
Most popular majorshare of graduates
  • U. South Carolina-ColumbiaPublic Health, General8%
  • U. Tennessee-KnoxvilleMarketing/Marketing Management, General7%

What each costs

U. South Carolina-Columbia costs about $2.3K less a year than U. Tennessee-Knoxville on average; U. Tennessee-Knoxville's grants cover the larger share of its price.

Average cost, all students
U. South Carolina-Columbia$27.5K
U. Tennessee-Knoxville$29.7K
Aid generosity
U. South Carolina-Columbia19%
U. Tennessee-Knoxville27%

What each pays off

U. South Carolina-Columbia's former students earn more, a median $62.2K ten years after enrolling; both graduate more than 70% within six years.

Median earnings, 10 years
U. South Carolina-Columbia$62.2K
U. Tennessee-Knoxville$60.2K
Graduation rate
U. South Carolina-Columbia77%
U. Tennessee-Knoxville71%

How each has changed

Applications grew at both; both got more selective.

Applications, 10-year change
  • U. South Carolina-ColumbiaGrowing+126%
  • U. Tennessee-KnoxvilleGrowing+287%
All the numbersEvery figure for these colleges in one table, with differences highlighted.
Sources for this comparisonEvery dataset and year behind the numbers in this comparison; tap any ⓘ for one number's source

Sources:University of South Carolina-Columbia (Fall 2025), Fall 2025;College Scorecard, Fall 2024;College Scorecard, most recent release;IPEDS Institutional Characteristics survey, 2023–24;IPEDS Student Financial Aid survey, 2023–24;University of South Carolina-Columbia Common Data Set 2025–26, Fall 2027 applicants;IPEDS Admissions survey, Fall 2024;University of South Carolina-Columbia Common Data Set 2025–26, Entered fall 2024;IPEDS Fall Enrollment survey (part D), Fall 2024;IPEDS Completions survey (degrees awarded by field), 2024–25 graduates;College Scorecard, 2023–24;IPEDS Graduation Rates survey (Pell Grant and subsidized loan recipients), Entered fall 2018;College Scorecard, Entered fall 2023About the data(retrieved 2026-10-12)

Figures are the newest each college has published; years can differ between colleges. Each value's ⓘ shows its source and year. Why